Rick Sims

In 1992 I composed music for West, my musical debut in theatre, at the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois. For the next several years the majority of my creative time was taken up by my pop rock band making records and going on world tours although, I was able to squeeze in time to compose music for several hilarious Lookingglass musicals along the way. Some of the highlights of my rock career included forming my band Didjits, touring and recording with Fred Schneider of the B-52′s, recording and playing Farm-Aid with Willie Nelson and writing a song for the Offspring record Smash which went on to sell more than 10 million copies.

In 2005, I took a job assisting Andre Pluess and began devoting myself to a full time theatre sound design and composing career. Since 2005 I have composed music for over 15 world premieres and/or have acted as composer, sound designer, lyricist as well as musical director, on countless theatrical productions in Chicago and nationally.

Technically, I have a wealth of experience working with computer based theatre playback programs (SFX, Qlab), digital console mixers (Yamaha DM1000, Yamaha O1v96), editing software (Logic Pro 9, Pro Tools, Digital Performer). I have also designed live sound support for theatre musicals whose productions included live bands and as many as twelve vocalists on stage with lavalier microphones. Peripheral to those skills, I have also developed a knowledge of computer networking.

Having worked with some very successful directors such as David Schwimmer, David Cromer, Gary Griffin and Heidi Stillman, I’ve developed a keen sense of what makes a piece of theatre succeed, not just through the prism of sound design and composition but, dramaturgically as well. I believe that my pop rock background, along with the experience I’ve gained in theatre, has given me a unique perspective on how to make music work in the theatrical environment.